Boot or shoe



(No Model.)

L. M. NUTE. Boo'r 0R sHoBf No. 431,990. Patented July 8, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

LEANDER M. NUTE, OF GREAT FALLS, NEV HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO GEORGE MOORE, OF BERVICK, MAINE.

BOOT OR SHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,990, dated July 8, 1890in Application filed April 23, 1890. Serial No. 349,165. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, LEANDEE M. NUTE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Great Falls, in the county of Stratford and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain Improvements in Boots or Shoes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a shoe, a portion of the vamp being turned back to show one of the guide-strips which form the subject of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the heel portion of the shoe.

In the ordinary operation of putting counters into boots or slices, the upper edge of the counter, which is introduced between t-he lining and the vamp or foxing, is liable to be pushed up beyond the lower edge of the top of the shoe, so as to project upon the inner side of the same, thereby displacing the lining and producing` a hard stiff edge or ridge on the inside of the heel portion of the shoe, which is uncomfortable to the wearer and renders the bootor shoe unsalable.

To remedy this dificulty is the object of my invention, which consists in fastening' to the lower edge or bottom of the top of'the shoe, on each side of the same, a strip of leather or other suitable material, which extends down between the lining' and the Vamp or foxing, and serves as a guide for the upper edge or portion of the counter, which is introduced between the outer side of said strip and the vamp or foxing, whereby the upper portion of the counter is kept out of contact with the lining and prevented from projecting inward and producing a stiif edge or ridge on the inside of the shoe, as hereinafter more particularly set forth.

In the saiddrawings, Arepresents the vamp of the shoe, B the top portion of the same, and C the lining, all of the ordinary construction. i

In the operation of fitting or stitching the shoe before vamping, a narrow guide-strip D, of leather or other suitable material, is secured, by stitching or in any other suitable manner, to the lower edge or bottom of the top portion B of the shoe on each side of the heel-seat. The vamp A is then stitched onto the top portion B, as usual, its upper edge completely covering and concealing the upper edges of the guide-strips D. The counter G is then applied, its upper edge or portion being placed between the outer side of the guide-strip and the vamp, as seen in Fig. 2, and forced up as far as permitted by the line of stitchin g f, which unites the vamp with the top B, after which the shoe is lasted in the ordinary manner. The strips D D thus interposed between the counter and the lining on opposite sides of the heel-seat effect-ually keep the upper edge of the counter away from the lining and render it absolutely impossible for it to form a ridge or hard edge on the inside of the shoe, as heretofore, whereby much loss and annoyance to the manufacturer, caused by `carelessness and imperfect work, are avoided, as the workman has only to see that the edge of the counter is placed between the vamp and the strip D, when the latter will guide it into place and prevent it from being pushed up beyond the line of -stitching f. Furthermore, the edge of the counter is held so firmly between the strips D and the vamp that itcannot curl up or project inward, as heretofore, and consequently it will retain its original shape for a much greater length of time.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a boot or shoe, the combination, with the vamp or foxing A and the lining O, of the top portion I3, having on each side of the heelseat a guide-strip D, secured to its bottom or lower edge and extending down between the lining and said vamp or foXing, and the counter G, having its upper edge oriportion placed between the said guide-strips D and the vamp or foxing, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Vitness my hand this 19th day ot' April, A. D. 1890. i

, LEANDER M. NUTE. In presence 0f- P. E. TEscHEMAcHER, HARRY W. AIKEN. 

